The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off an impressive Monday night road win against the Indianapolis Colts. In that game, the team and its solid run defense were effective in shutting down Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. During this shortened week, Pittsburgh’s defense will have to prepare for another strong run offense in the Atlanta Falcons.
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Falcons Run Rock By Committee
The Steelers' run defense has improved dramatically compared to their ranking from last year. They were at the bottom of the league in that category, but this season has them just outside the top five, allowing 104 yards per game. Even though there has been immense progress made with the run defense, they will still have their hands full with the Falcons and the way they implement their ground game.
Atlanta has one of the top-five rushing offenses in the league. That offense is currently averaging 160 yards on the ground. This is because there are four players on their roster that currently have at least 300 rushing yards on the season. One of these players is Cordarrelle Patterson.
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Patterson is a unique and versatile player as he has been a wide receiver, a return specialist and is now a running back in Atlanta’s offense. Patterson is viewed as their primary weapon in the rush attack as he has 506 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He may be the one that is leaned on the most, but he isn’t the only one to aid the Falcons in moving the rock.
The rookie running back tandem of Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley has been crucial to the team’s success in running the ball. Allgeier has the most yards on the team with 552 rushing yards and Huntley has 347 rushing yards of his own. No matter who is lined up at running back between Patterson, Allgeier or Huntley, chances are it will result in positive yardage in the run game. As if that’s not enough, then there’s the matter of Atlanta’s Quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Paul Sancya
Mariota is not a running back, but with 421 rushing yards, he could easily be viewed as one. Quarterback runs are just another wrinkle that Falcons Offensive Coordinator Dave Ragone has in his arsenal on offense. So, with a trio of running backs and a mobile quarterback, what do the Steelers do to contain them?
Steelers Shut Down Falcons Flow
There are many factors that you need to account for when defending this offense. Steelers Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin talked about this in his interview on Thursday.
"I think the number one thing is you have to stop the main runs,” Austin said. “The main runs, they do all the time. They're going to have some quarterback runs they do that they mix in or sprinkle in to keep you honest. The bottom line is that the main run game is the main run game."
"And you'd better defend that. They have a really good run game. They have that stretch where they're getting guys on the ground, they're cutting you and getting holes and seams. And the guys run hard. They're one-cut runners and they get vertical. That's the one you had better defend. You've got a plan for quarterback mobility. But you had better defend the main things first," Austin finished.
As Austin said, Atlanta has a really good run game, and it’s their main game. Nearly 59 percent of the Falcons' plays on offense have been run plays. Because of their unwillingness to pass the ball, you can expect the Steelers to force Mariota to try and beat them through the air. However, this may not happen because of Atlanta’s trust in their running backs and overall ground game as they’re currently averaging close to five yards per carry. Steelers Defensive Lineman Cam Heyward understands that the Falcons will always look to play to their strengths.
"They have a way of playing that makes them successful," Heyward said. "They have a lot of QB runs, as well. Cordarrelle Patterson does a great job out of the backfield. It's their style of play. They feel like if they stay on track and keep running it, it will bring them back in the game. It's going to be a four-quarter battle."
All we can hope is that after this four-quarter battle, the Steelers will walk away victorious with another road win.
How do you think the Steelers will defend against Atlanta’s rush attack? Be sure to leave a comment below.
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